Women in Management at Deutshe Telekom 1. What do you think of this “quota” approach that Deutsche Telekom is pursuing? What benefits and drawbacks does such and approach have?
“Quotas” are not recommended by many human resource experts. While quotas will help organizations become diverse quickly, they do so in a way that discriminates against employees – critics call this reverse discrimination. Quotas many times suggest that certain people need not apply. By actively saying that a set number of minorities will be put into a position can also create a backlash from applicants/existing employees who feel that their qualifications are not as important as their gender or color of their skin. Many experts prefer the use of hiring programs that favor minorities when all other qualifications are equal. 2. What issues might Deutsche Telekom face in recruiting female university graduates? How could they address these issues?
Get students to think about how Deutsche Telekom would attract only female applicants. In US markets, advertisements for jobs cannot specify a gender. Such an ad would be seen as a violation of other applicant’s civil rights. Deutsche Telekom could send recruiters to female only universities or advertise in media oriented toward females.

3. What issues might the company face in introducing changes in work–family programs? Again, how could they address these issues?
While some employees are appreciative of work-family programs, others might see them as showing favoritism. It is difficult for managers to miss time and to work flexible arrangements because of the demands placed upon their time. For a manager to miss too many meetings or to work hours that put them out of the office at key times could create resentment from subordinates and other managers. 4. What issues might the company face in introducing changes in